An Educational Kind of Torture
by Kisoku no Yanagi
Summary: A short fic about Iruka's first days teaching at the Academy. Oneshot. My first serious try at a 'serious' fic.


**An Educational Kind of Torture**

Another fic by Kisoku no Yanagi

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Walking into the empty classroom, Umino Iruka couldn't help but feel a bit of pride. He had just made Chuunin, and here he was, filling in for the Academy Teacher. He couldn't wait to start giving the skills and knowledge that had propelled him past the Genin and Chuunin exams.

Picking up a sheaf of papers, the chocolate-haired shinobi looked through them, wincing at some of the answers, particularly one from a boy named...

With a sharp intake of air, Iruka glared, almost as if the paper would burst into flames. Uzumaki Naruto.

The Kyuubi.

Gritting his teeth, Iruka shook his head. He wouldn't be able to do anything to the Kyuubi-brat, per the Sandaime's orders. But still...it didn't sit well with Iruka that he would be helping the Kyuubi...

Sighing, the Chuunin walked out of the room, taking the papers with him. Maybe...

The next morning, Iruka entered the classroom once again. This time though, it was filled with students. Several of the children had marks on their faces, symbols of their clan. Others had piercings, and almost all of them were yelling.

"QUIET!" Iruka hollered. No one listened, except for one. A raven-haired boy with pitch-black eyes, his expression one of distaste.

'_Hm...is that the Kyuubi? All I know is his name...'_

"**QUIIIIIIIEEEEEEETTTT!"** Iruka shrieked, his lungs and throat aching.

Almost immediately, the noise ceased. Some of the kids would later swear that even the flies had stopped moving.

"Much better. I'm Umino Iruka. You can call me Iruka-sens-" Iruka began, but he was cut off by a blonde with whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Ne, what happened to Keisuke-sensei?" The boy asked, his voice surprisingly loud, even for this bunch. His eyes were slitted, but even through that, and from a fair distance, Iruka could tell that they were a light shade of blue.

"I'm afraid he is on a mission. I'll be the substitute." Iruka explained, his eyes angry. This. This was the monster that had killed his parents. This...**thing.** The whiskers were a dead giveaway. Albeit the fact that it seemed perfectly cheerful, and had almost no traces of malice about it. No. It was the Kyuubi.

"Now, class, please turn to page thirty-five. We will be learning about the basics of chakra, a-"

A small boy with brown hair, reminiscent of Iruka's own hair, and with a dog sitting on his head, raised a hand, and shouted,"Hey! Keisuke-sensei never made us use the books! He always just showed us how to do stuff!"

"And what exactly did he show you?" Iruka asked, curious. Kyoshiro Keisuke had been a bit eccentric, but he had always put the safety of his students before all else.

Fumbling in his jacket, Kiba mumbled,"Um, this..." Digging out a shuriken, the Inuzuka hurled it, clearly aiming for the door.

It hit two inches above Iruka's head, cleanly lopping off the bulk of his ponytail.

"See? That's what Keisuke-sensei showed us!" Kiba said excitedly, his face eager. "So, you gonna show us anything cool like that, Iruka-sensei?"

The Chuunin smiled, looking at the young ninja wannabe. Well, so be it.

"Alright, but first, I need you to read pages thirty-five through thirty-seven, and then I'll give you a small demonstration." Iruka said, rapping the blackboard smartly with his knuckles. "You have thirty minutes."

Naruto raised a hand, his face slightly flushed. "Um, Iruka-sensei, I don't know how to read..."

Iruka looked at the young Kyuubi-container, his face hardening. Acting on impulse, Iruka spat out, "Too bad, then, eh?"

A flash of sadness passed Naruto's face, then he looked up with a dazzling smile. "Alright then, Iruka-sensei."

As the rest of the class opened the decrepit old books, Naruto snuck out of the classroom, unaware of the two pairs of eyes locked upon him, one brown, and one white.

After the thirty minutes had passed, Iruka smiled at the class, and laughed. "Well, since you all seem to have read it, I guess I owe you a demonstration, don't I?"

The class nodded as one, small heads bobbing up and down.

"But first, to make sure you have read it, what is chakra?"

As one, the class broke into a chorus of 'Um's, and 'Uh's, and "Er's.

Chuckling, Iruka walked a bit closer to the class, and put his hands together into a seal. "Well, I'm feeling a bit indulgent today, so look carefully. Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The class oohed and aahed as a cloud of smoke appeared, only to reveal a second Iruka.

"Alright, it's time for your recess, so I'll come get you when it's time to come back in, hm?" Iruka asked, already walking toward the door to let them out. Shrieking with delight, the class moved toward the door.

Striding in the direction where Naruto had gone, Iruka planned on punishing the Uzumaki severely. It had been a stroke of luck that he had done what he had.

Walking quickly, Iruka didn't see anything but trees for several minutes, and wondered whether he had made a mistake. But then he rounded a corner, and spotted a head of sunshine slowly moving back and forth on a swing.

Opening his mouth to reprimand the Kyuubi container, Iruka stopped when he saw the blonde's eyes.

The orbs that had sparkled with life and laughter were dulled by sadness and pain, more than enough to rival Iruka's.

As Iruka watched, a heart-wrenching sigh made its way out of Naruto's mouth, his slender frame sliding lower on the swing.

A pang of regret hit Iruka, watching the sad sight, and he quickly cast his eyes around the small clearing, trying to erase the memory from his mind.

When his eyes finally landed on the swing again, Naruto had gone.

Iruka sighed, his chest heavy with guilt. And yet, some part of him still felt that the Kyuubi-brat deserved.

Walking back to the classroom, Iruka ushered the bustling children back into the building.

But not before he noticed a smiling Hyuuga Hinata explaining the basics of chakra to Naruto.

Three weeks passed, and finally, Kyoshiro Keisuke returned from his mission. Entering the classroom where he had taught, he was greeted by Iruka.

"Well, hello, Iruka! I'm back, so you don't have to endure this any more." Keisuke said, his face weary.

Iruka looked up from his papers, smiling at the older Chuunin. "Oh no, Keisuke, I'm fine. I've already submitted the form to Hokage-sama. I'll be teaching here permanently."

Keisuke blinked, his brain not registering what he had just heard. When it finally did, he looked at Iruka. "You do realize what you've done, right?"

Iruka nodded.

"Well then, I hope you survive this torture better than I did." Keisuke muttered, holding his hand out to Iruka.

The Umino took it and shook, a small smile gracing his face. "Don't worry."

Walking out of the room, Keisuke let out a whoop. Iruka looked at the quickly retreating back of the older man, and sighed. The smile never left his face, though.

It would be torture, yes.

But at least it would be an educational kind of torture.

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**Okay, yeah, I know, it's not all that good, but it's nearly y first try at a 'serious' fic. I wanted to make it a bit longer initially, but...well, curse the human vice called laziness.**

**Gojyo: Hey, y' little bastard, what happened to my beer!**

**You drank it, judging by the smell of your breath.**

**Seta: Please review!**

**Gojyo: And fla -hic- flame!**

**Shut up, you pervy kappa.**


End file.
